


A Time Of Need

by kathasaurus_rex



Series: Baby Loki [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Feels, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Loki Loves His Auntie Tasha, M/M, Scarred Loki, Science Bros, Science Family, Team as Family, naps, toddler loki, tortured loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 15:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13414482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathasaurus_rex/pseuds/kathasaurus_rex
Summary: Thor has to defend his homeland, and he has to leave his baby brother with people he can trust. That's where Tony and Bruce come in.





	A Time Of Need

**Author's Note:**

> This might be OOC and canon divergent... but I like it a lot. This universe is very interesting to me. If you have any ideas or requests, you can find me on Tumblr @ghostlykath <3
> 
> UPDATE (1/13/19): Minor edits and revisions have been made - no major plot points changed.

Thor held the bundle closer to his chest as he looked up at the tower. He looked around, cautious, before pulling back the blankets to check on his charge. The toddler was still fast asleep, thumb stuck in his mouth as he breathed gently. Thor let out a sigh of relief and adjusted the bag on his shoulder before crossing the street.

 

///

 

Tony let out a breathy moan as Bruce moved his mouth down to the sensitive skin of his collarbone, sucking lightly. He dug his fingernails into Bruce’s back and gasped, spreading his legs.

“Bruce… fuck…” his eyes fluttered shut and he pushed his groin upward. “Not fucking _fair_.”

Bruce pulled back and a smile spread easily over his face. “But I like you like this… you’re so beautiful.” Bruce grinned then and moved down to bite at an erect nipple, sucking it into his mouth and making Tony whine.

And that was when a familiar chime sounded. “ _S_ _ir? Thor Odinson is in the lobby and requesting to speak with you._ ”

“Huh?” Tony said, still a little dazed. Bruce propped himself up on his elbows, glasses askew.

“ _Thor Odinson, of the Avengers. He is in the main lobby and requesting to speak with you._ ”

The two men glanced at each other. “Let him up, Fri,” Bruce replied, moving smoothly into an upright position and reaching out to grab his discarded shirt. “We’ll meet him in the living room.”

Tony sputtered for a moment, looking offended. “We were having a moment, Bruce!”

“Thor wouldn’t show up unless it was important, Tony. There will be time for me to fuck you through the mattress later.” Bruce slid off the bed and readjusted his sweatpants. “C’mon - you know I’m right.”

Tony did know that Bruce was right, but he didn’t want to admit that. So he groaned and whined as he dressed, shuffling out into the living room to meet up with Bruce and their fellow Avenger. Thor looked like he hadn’t bathed in weeks, and like he hadn’t slept in longer than that.

“Man of Iron, Tony, thank you for allowing me to see you this night,” Thor said softly. “I am sorry to intrude, but I am in need of aid.”

Tony nodded, crossing his arms against his chest. “Yeah, Pointbreak, it’s no problem. Tell us what’s going on.”

There was a hesitation, then, and Thor adjusted the bundle against his chest. “Asgard is on the brink of war, and my brother has been…” Thor sighed, exhausted. “He has been tortured, he has been beaten, and his magic has left him. He is a shell of who he once was.”

Bruce looked confused. “And… is there more?”

Loki began to cry then, letting out small sobs and wriggling against Thor’s chest. Tony went wide-eyed and his hand shot out to clutch at Bruce’s arm.

“My mother could not do much to help him, nor I, but she did manage to use some of her life force to make him as he once was, so I could sneak him away.” Thor pushed down the blankets so the toddler’s head was exposed, and the boy blinked grumpily at the lights. “But I have to return to Asgard and defend my land. I need somewhere safe to keep him until I can return.”

“That’s Loki?” Tony said in disbelief.

Loki continued to wriggle until the blanket fell away, revealing long, jagged scars on pale skin, and bruises in various stages of healing. Thor rubbed a hand up and down the boy’s back, humming softly.

“You want us to take care of Loki? So you can go fight aliens?” Bruce asked slowly.

Thor thought for a moment. “We generally call them Other Worlders, but yes. I have no one else to turn to, no one else I could ever trust with this, with him.” His eyes closed and he let out a shaky breath. “Please?”

Bruce took a few careful steps forward and leaned down a bit so he could see eye-to-eye with the child. Loki fisted at the dirty fabric of Thor’s tunic and blinked at Bruce shyly, unsure of what was going on. After a few moments, Bruce smiled. He carefully lifted Loki from Thor’s embrace, making sure the dirty blanket was still wrapped tight around his small body, and held him close, heart aching at the sight of even more injuries.

“Go shower and get some rest before you head back, Thor,” Bruce said softly, “I’ve got him.”

“Are you sure?” Thor questioned, wringing his hands together.

“Yes. Go ahead.” Bruce smiled at the demigod and moved towards the bedroom. “I’m gonna get him cleaned up and maybe get him something to eat, if he’s hungry.”

As Thor nodded and moved towards the guest bathroom, Tony stared after his partner, who was speaking softly to the child and smiling at him. He followed after them cautiously.

“Are we just going to pretend that that isn’t Loki, the demigod who tried to kill all of us?” Tony said sharply. “And also that we are in no means qualified for this?”

Bruce was sat on the tile floor, Loki cuddled against his chest. He ignored Tony, instead focusing on getting the water a safe temperature and pulling the stopper. He went into the storage cabinet to find the bubble bath and a long forgotten package of Avengers-themed rubber ducks. He tore open the package and dumped them out into the water.

He looked up then. “That’s it though, Tony - he’s not the demigod who tried to kill us. He’s a kid, who doesn’t understand why he’s in so much pain, and why the man who’s been taking care of him has to leave him with strangers.” He looked at Loki, who was eyeing the bubbles curiously. “He’s scared, and hurt, and confused. Thor is our teammate, ally, and friend - we can do this for him.”

Tony relaxed a little, heart breaking at the expression on Bruce’s face. “Okay. Okay, yeah, you’re right.” He didn’t dare mention the fact that children terrified him. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

“He’ll need clothes?” Bruce said as he undressed Loki slowly, frowning at the injured skin. “Grab my wallet and order some. I figure probably size 2T.”

Tony cleared his throat. “I can cover it, no problem. I’ll just… go do that.” And he made his escape, rushing from the room.

Loki was quiet as he sat in the bathtub, Bruce pushing the rubber ducks towards him every few moments. When he moved to grab the loofah, the boy flinched, pulling his knees up to his chest and shutting his eyes, the water around him splashing upwards.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” Bruce said. He held the loofah in his hand and waited for Loki’s eyes to open, wide and bright blue, holding back years. “Here, you wanna see?” He held it out, and watched as Loki reached out to run his fingers over it. “I’m just going to get all the dirt off of you, so you can be nice and clean. Does that sound alright?”

Loki blinked at him and then nodded slowly. Bruce poured a small bit of body wash onto the loofah before running it gently over Loki’s bruised shoulders, the boy relaxing as time passed and he was not hit.

Eventually, Bruce his the stopper on the tub and grabbed a fluffy towel, easing Loki out so he could dry him off.

“Delivery guys are on their way,” Tony said, appearing in the doorway. “I got clothes and… well, diapers and a couple toys? I wasn’t sure if he was, uh, potty-trained?”

Bruce hummed. “We’ll have to ask Thor.” He wrapped Loki in the towel then, and lifted him. “How long do you think?”

“Half an hour, at the most."

 

///

 

Bruce dug through the various bags until he found a pair of jungle animal themed footie pajamas. He grabbed a diaper as well, before heading into the bedroom. Tony watched as his lover dressed Loki. The toddler was blinking sleepily up at the ceiling, bringing up tiny fists to rub at his eyes.

“Tired, huh?” Bruce asked, zipping up the pajamas and lifting him into a comfortable embrace. “Let’s get you tucked in and cozy.”

Bruce made a nest of pillows and blankets in the center of the bed he shared with Tony, tucking Loki in and brushing the hair away from his eyes. Loki cuddled up to the pillows and yawned, eyes closing. Bruce grabbed at Tony’s hand and pulled him from the bedroom, leaving the door open a smidge.

“We can let him sleep,” Bruce said, exhaustion showing in the tone of his voice. “C’mon, make me some coffee?”

Tony nodded, and lead Bruce towards the kitchen. He pushed him down into a seat at the counter and went through the motions of preparing a pot of coffee. He grabbed Bruce’s favorite mug, and one for himself.

“Will he be okay in there by himself?” Tony asked, sliding the mug across the counter.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. That’s why I piled up the pillows so high around him.” Bruce said. “And if he starts to wake up, we should be able to hear him and get to him before he hurts himself.”

Tony walked around the island to sit down beside him, shaking a bit. “I… I know nothing about how to take care of a kid, Bruce. I’m going out of my fucking mind over here.”

Bruce reached out to intertwine their fingers, bringing their joined hands up so he could kiss Tony’s knuckles. “I know. I’m freaking out too. But he needs us. He needs someone to take care of him: to make sure he’s safe, and clean, and warm. To make sure he’s not hungry or scared. Every child deserves that, no matter what.”

“Yeah.” Tony relaxed back in the chair and gulped at the coffee.

 

///

 

Loki woke up screaming, tears streaming down over his cheeks. Where was he? He sniffled and wriggled his small body against the mass of blankets surrounding him, a few hiccups sounding from his mouth.

Bruce walked in and approached slowly, pulling back the blankets and smiling softly down at him. “Hey. It’s okay. No one is going to hurt you here.” He lifted the boy carefully, cradling him against his chest and rubbing his back, soothing him until his cries had quieted, and he relaxed. “I’ve got you. Why don’t we go get something to eat, hm? Maybe that’s why you’re so grumpy. The still sleepy toddler just laid his head against Bruce’s shoulder and carefully moved to suck on his thumb, watching his surroundings change as Bruce walked out into the living room, and then through to the kitchen. Tony wasn’t there. “Huh. Okay, Loki, I’m gonna set you down for a minute so I can get you something to eat.” Bruce walked over to the vintage diner-style booth built into the wall and set the boy down. “You stay right here and wait for me.”

Loki curled up a little bit. His eyes followed Bruce around the kitchen, watching as he pulled several things from the fridge, grabbed a plate from the cupboard, and began his preparation. The food looked… strange. Nothing he was familiar with. Not that he had eaten in quite some time, anyways. He had grown used to his stomach aching.

Bruce came back over with a plate and a spoon. “We’re going to have to get you some dishes - these are made for adults, and you’re little.” He slid into the seat beside Loki and pulled the small boy close, handing him the spoon. Loki took it and then looked at the food before looking at Bruce. “Go ahead. That’s all for you. You look underweight for your age, although I can’t be sure of anything until we get you in to see a doctor.”

Loki poked at the green mush on the plate for a moment before awkwardly handling the spoon to bring some to his mouth. (He would later learn that it was called an avocado, and call them his favorite.) Once he realized that it wasn’t disgusting and would not hurt him, he began to eat ravenously, finishing the green mush and putting down the spoon to poke at the red cubes.

“That’s watermelon. It’s good for you, I promise.” Bruce said. He shifted Loki until the boy was on his lap, and reached for his StarkPad. “If you don’t like it, that’s okay. But we should try everything once.”

Loki tried it, biting off a small corner and chewing it. He did like it - he ate the cubes slowly, looking at the StarkPad and watching Bruce type. When he was finished, he leaned back against Bruce’s chest and looked up at him, brow furrowed the slightest bit. What was he doing? What was that in his hand?

“Oh, he ate? Good. Small ones need sustenance.”

Loki looked over to the doorway and gasped. He clambered down off Bruce’s lap and ran to Thor, clinging to his leg and looking up at him. “Thow?” he said, bottom lip wobbling dangerously, tears gathering in his eyes. He lifted his arms, expectant.

“Oh brother,” Thor said softly, leaning down to lift him, cradling him against his shoulder. “You are alright. I promise you.” Loki shoved his face against Thor’s neck and clung to him, settling finally after a few long moments. “Were you have a good time with friend Bruce? Was he taking care of you?”

Loki nodded and pulled back. “Go home now, Thow?”

Thor looked heartbroken as he reached up to push some of Loki’s hair away from his face. “You need to stay here for a while longer, little brother. It is not safe at home, and I do not wish for you to get hurt.” Loki began to cry at Thor’s explanation, and pressed tiny hands over his eyes, sniffling. “Loki, my friends will take care of you whilst I am gone. Bruce and Tony are good men - they will not allow you to be hurt.” He looked at Bruce then and smiled sadly. “I must leave now, Bruce. Could you…”

Bruce stood and walked over to pull the still crying boy into his arms, bouncing him gently and rubbing his back. “Let us know if you’re safe, alright?”

Thor nodded, and then he walked towards the elevator. He glanced back only once, looking teary-eyed himself, before leaving the tower.

 

///

 

The first few days were not easy. Loki was still emotional and scarred, inside and out. He didn’t want to risk exploring and playing, not wanting to be hurt by the two men he was in the care of. Tony was busy with work, so it was Bruce that took on the brunt of caring for the toddler, making sure he bathed and ate and slept. It was two weekends later when Tony walked into the bedroom after a three day stint in the workshop, to find Bruce and Loki asleep together on the bed.

The toddler was curled up against Bruce’s chest under his PJ Masks blanket, drooling a little bit. Bruce had an arm tucked around Loki, and was snoring.

Tony’s heart ached. He had considered a life with Bruce, the whole package: marriage, combined workshop, maybe even children if Bruce wanted them… Bruce was so good with Loki. Tony had been watching through the security cameras in place around the penthouse, and he had found himself caught up in watching the two of them together, smiling.

Bruce jerked awake, blinking until Tony came somewhat into focus. “Hey babe,” he said, voice raspy. “Come up here.”

Tony stripped down to his boxers and his t-shirt, crawling up under the blankets and settling himself behind Loki’s small body. “Sorry I’ve been working so much. I just-”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re here now.” Bruce moved his arm and reached over to tug Tony closer, the three of them snuggling properly. Loki made a satisfied noise in his sleep and turned to cuddle up to Tony’s chest instead, clenching his t-shirt in small fists.

Tony looked down at the boy and shifted until he could rub his back. Bruce was watching him sleepily, smiling.

“Time to sleep?” Tony suggested, already feeling his eyelids closing.

“Mmm. Goodnight, babe.” Bruce replied, already almost asleep again himself.

 

///

 

Because Tony had been working so much, he reluctantly agreed to watch Loki so that his lover could go check on his own experiments and research. Bruce was pleasantly surprised, but happy. He slipped out of bed and kissed Tony once, twice, before moving to get dressed and shower.

Tony was still holding Loki close. The boy was warm and smelled like strawberry banana shampoo and just… that kid smell. Tony didn’t know how to describe it. He dozed back off, and the next time he woke, it was because small hands were pressed to his cheeks.

Loki was wide awake, and he looked almost concerned. “Whewe Bwuce go?” he said, head tilted to one side.

“Bruce had to go work on some boring sciencey stuff. So I’m going to be hanging out with you today,” Tony explained, sitting up a little bit and glancing at the alarm clock. It was almost nine - should he make Loki some food? “Are you hungry? Do you want some breakfast?”

After thinking for a moment, Loki nodded and reached his arms up. Tony knew what that meant, at least - he lifted Loki and settled the boy on his hip, letting out a yawn as they walked out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen. Coffee first - he needed coffee. And maybe juice, for the kid.

There were sippy cups on the counter, and he grabbed one before walking to the fridge and looking at the array of juices. Bruce had luckily labeled the different bottles for when Loki drank them - it seemed as though the green V8 juice was for the morning time, so he grabbed it and clumsily poured it into the sippy cup, making sure to hold on tight to Loki as he did so, securing the lid and handing it off to Loki, who held it in a tight grip.

Coffee took too long to brew. Tony let his eyes shut as he leaned back against the counter and waited for the chime. When the pot had finally finished brewing, he poured himself a cup and moved to slide Loki into the booth.

“What do you normally have for breakfast?” Tony asked, not entirely sure if Loki would answer. Loki blinked at him. “Okay. I can do this. We’ve got this.”

Bruce was a blessing. There was already a plate with breakfast prepared on it in the fridge, with what looked like mushed up avocado and a berry mix. He carried that, and a child sized spoon, over to where Loki was sitting. Loki smiled at the food and picked up the spoon, holding his cup in his other hand. Tony sat awkwardly beside him, and almost spilled his coffee when Loki clambered onto his lap, making himself comfortable and continuing to eat.

He had not been expecting that. He smiled a little and sipped at his coffee, watching as Loki ate his food and then pushed the plate away, bringing his cup up to drink his juice.

He could do this.

 

///

 

When Bruce came back upstairs late afternoon, he found Tony and Loki on the couch, fast asleep. Tony was stretched out across the couch, one arm flung above his head, the other wrapped around Loki, who was fast asleep against his chest, wrapped up in his blankie.

Bruce smiled and set down his stack of files and his StarkPad on the coffee table before gingerly leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to Tony’s lax mouth. Tony woke slowly and kissed back, smiling.

“So it looks like it went okay?” Bruce said.

“It did. We’re good, Papa Bear,” Tony said jokingly, although it wasn’t really a joke. “I just want to take care of him. I freaked out a couple times, but he… he was patient with me.”

Bruce nodded. “Tony… I think we’ve got this. Yeah?”

Tony answered without hesitation. “Yeah. We’ve got this.”

 

///

 

The first time Loki said Daddy, he immediately regretted it, shoving himself back into the booth and curling himself up into a ball. He knew Tony was going to hit him - he just _knew_. He covered his eyes with his hands and tried to control his breathing.

Tony’s heart was full just hearing the words come from the boy’s mouth. At seeing the boy’s reaction, however, he moved to carefully pull him into his arms. “Sh, squirt,” he said softly, running his fingers through his shaggy hair and rubbing his back. “Hey, it’s alright. Daddy’s here.”

Loki shoved himself against Tony and began to cry then, rubbing his face against the smooth material of his t-shirt. It took him a while to calm down, finally relaxing against Tony’s body and sniffling.

“You’re alright. You’re okay.” Tony continued this mantra until Loki was half asleep in his arms, sucking on his thumb.

Bruce walked in and saw them, Loki’s cheeks red from crying, and he looked at Tony. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah… he just called me Daddy and then got upset. Probably thought I was going to h-u-r-t him.” Tony explained, standing with Loki cradled against him. “Hey squirt, Papa’s up here now, you wanna say hi?”

Loki looked over at Bruce and smiled around his thumb. “Papa?”

“Hey little bug.” Bruce moved to hug Tony, and Loki, tight to his chest. “Looks like it’s lunch time. Are you hungry? Do you want some grilled cheese before you take your nap?”

“Yes, pwease,” Loki said.

And that was that.

 

///

 

After half a year of having the boy in their care, it was difficult for Tony and Bruce to remember that Loki wasn’t really _theirs_. He had come so far in just that short amount of time: the boy played and laughed, slept in his own bed (most of the time), and had even made friends with the rest of the earthly Avengers. And they loved him.

And then Thor returned.

 

///

 

Loki was still asleep when Thor arrived, stepping out the elevator with remnants of a battle littering his skin, although it was obvious he had showered and put on fresh clothes.

“Tony, Bruce,” Thor said, small smile on his face. “How are you?”

Tony was scared shitless. “Good. We’re good.” He cleared his throat and glanced towards Loki’s bedroom door (painted light yellow with a green L in the center). “He’s asleep. Doesn’t normally wake up for another half an hour or so.”

“That is fine. I can wait?” Thor said hesitantly.

Bruce nodded. “Of course. Why don’t we go into the kitchen and have some coffee?” he suggested.

They sat around the booth, fingers wrapped around mugs, and drank their coffee in silence. Tony couldn’t take it any longer.

“He’s doing good.” He blurted out. Thor looked at him, mug halfway to his mouth. “Loki is. He’s… smart, and he’s grown, and he plays and… and we love him.” He cleared his throat again and pulled over the StarkPad. “We have… pictures, and videos, and… he likes to draw? We let him do that a lot.”

Bruce smiled weakly and looked down at his drink. “He’s an amazing kid. Thank you for letting us take care of him.”

They could hear Loki waking up then, the familiar hopping of his feet down the steps of his loft bed, the soft padding of his feet against the tile floor. He walked into the kitchen, clutching Hawk-Bear and rubbing at his eyes.

“Daddy, can I hab a ‘cado for bweak-fiss?” he said, not even noticing Thor as he crawled up into Bruce’s lap and made himself comfortable. He was still sleepy-eyed, and he yawned before closing his eyes again. “Pwease an’ dank you.”

Tony smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to the boy’s hair. “Yeah, squirt, you can have an avocado for breakfast. I’ll get it ready for you. Thank you for asking so nicely.”

Thor watched as Tony prepared Loki’s breakfast, grabbing his sippy cup of juice and preparing the mashed avocado on the plate, along with a bowl of mango. He walked back over and set it down in front of Bruce. Bruce rubbed the boy’s back and helped him sit up, taking Hawk-Bear and setting him on the floor so the boy wouldn’t get distracted.

Loki had taken two bites of his avocado when he noticed Thor sitting there. He gasped. “Bwover!” he said, squealing a bit and crawling over Tony and Bruce to scoot over to Thor, pressing against him and hugging his arm. “You came to see me! Hewwo! I miss you!”

“Hello Loki,” Thor said, blinking away tears and smiling, pulling him into a hug. “How  are you? How have you been?”

“I am good. I do good. I… Papa? I’m good?”

Bruce nodded and smiled at him. “Yeah, bug, you’re good. Why don’t you tell Thor about your drawings, hm?” He pushed the food across the table so Loki could eat as he caught up with Thor, and then, as he felt the anger rising, he pushed himself out of the booth. “Excuse me, I have something I need to take care of.” And he hurried from the kitchen.

Thor looked up, confused. “Tony, is friend Bruce alright?”

Tony knew he wasn’t. “I’m going to go check on him. Squirt, eat all your breakfast, okay?” Loki nodded with a large smile and continued his childish babbling towards Thor, who listened intently.

Bruce was in Loki’s room, sat in the large, plush armchair in the corner. He held Loki’s blankie in his hands, staring at it like it was about to bite him. Tony sank down into his lap without saying anything, taking the blanket from him and stroking the worn material.

“He’s gonna take him,” Bruce said, voice rough with emotion.

“We don’t know that yet, Bruce. Don’t say that.” Tony replied, turning and holding Bruce’s head to his chest. “Until we know otherwise, that boy out there is staying with us. We can’t fucking give up on him.”

Bruce kept his head there, pressed to Tony’s chest, and ignored the pressure around his heart. It was starting to hurt, but he breathed through it, not wanting the Hulk to come out. Tony stroked his fingers over the nape of Bruce’s neck and kiss the crown of his head until he relaxed.

“We can’t leave them out there forever,” Tony said, finally.

Bruce nodded, and moved to kiss Tony gently before they pulled apart.

Loki had finished all his food, and was done talking to Thor, apparent by the way he was building his block tower and chattering to Hawk-Bear. Thor was watching, smile on his face.

“Loki, bug, why don’t we go try to go potty quick, and then you can go see Auntie Tasha, hm?” Bruce said, picking Loki up and grabbing Hawk-Bear. “Say goodbye to Thor.”

Loki waved and smiled. “Buh-bye, Thow! Wove you!” He blew him a kiss as Bruce carried him out of the room.

Thor watched them go, and then looked at Tony. “You have done a good job of taking care of him. He is happy. I... “ He sighed. “I cannot take him from you. I could not care for him as you have and he deserves to be cared for. Could I still come visit him, from time to time?”

“Of course,” Tony said immediately, heart blooming with warmth. “He loves you. You can come visit him whenever you would like. Bruce and I love him, and we will always care for him. Always.”

Thor nodded. “Alright then. I will trust him to your charge. Thank you.”

“No, Pointbreak,” Tony said, smiling. “Thank _you_.”


End file.
